Since 2021, an estimated 369,000 non-UK nationals have been arrested, accounting for 19% of the 1.96 million total arrests.
London’s Kings Cross station (Image: Getty)
Shocking analysis reveals that foreign nationals account for nearly 80% of arrests for theft on Britain’s trains and public transport. Data from the Centre for Migration Control (CMC) shows that 79.3% of theft-of-passenger-property arrests involved migrants during the 2024-2025 period.
The figure starkly contrasts with the migrant population’s 9.9% share of the UK, as per the 2021 census, where 5.9 million people hold non-British passports. The British Transport Police (BTP) recorded 9,771 total arrests across the nation’s transport network during the year. Of these, 3,688 – or 37.7% – were foreign nationals. The CMC’s breakdown highlights migrants‘ overrepresentation in multiple crime categories: 36.6% of sexual offence arrests (225 cases), 35.7% of violent crimes (900 cases), 39.6% of drug-related offences (187 cases), and an overwhelming 79.3% for theft (304 cases).
Robert Bates, Research Director at the CMC, described the findings as evidence of an “immigration-caused crime wave” on British trains. He said: “Immigrants are vastly overrepresented in arrest figures from British Transport Police, particularly when it comes to theft.”
He criticised both Conservative and Labour governments for allowing “millions of migrants who commit terrible crimes against the native population,” noting that a migrant was arrested every three minutes nationally last year. Bates called for an end to immigration, mass deportations, and a “Red List” of countries ineligible for UK visas, mirroring U.S. policies.
The figures were obtained by GB News via a Freedom of Information request.
Figures reveal foreign nationals account for 80% of arrests on public transport (Image: Getty)
Broader CMC data from 26 police forces in 2023 reinforces the trend, showing foreign nationals 34% more likely to be arrested than British-born individuals – one in 70 versus one in 94.
Since 2021, an estimated 369,000 non-UK nationals have been arrested, accounting for 19% of the 1.96 million total arrests, despite representing about 16% of the population. More recent figures indicate 473 daily arrests of foreign nationals between April 2024 and March 2025.
Harrison Pitt, Senior Policy Fellow at Restore Britain, echoed the call for reform. Mr Pitt said: “The fact that we already have problems of our own is no reason to import the problems of the world.”
He advocated a “tiered system of immigration,” barring nationals from countries overrepresented in UK crime statistics, prioritising the “safety of Britain’s host population” over “the hurt feelings of foreigners.”
The BTP has responded by increasing patrols, amid rising incidents like a recent shirtless passenger kicking out a Tube window and fare-dodging fines surging after exposures of “lawless” free-riders.
Transport for London (TfL) faces chaos from strikes demanding 32-hour weeks.
Critics argue the data may not account for repeat offenders or socioeconomic factors, but the CMC insists it underscores a systemic failure.
As debates intensify, calls for policy overhauls grow louder, with Reform UK’s Nigel Farage unveiling defection deadlines amid Tory unrest.
Express.co.uk has contacted the Home Office for comment.
